Chapter 37: The Three Sisters
Su Yaoguang saw that the woman had stopped picking vegetables and was jogging away with a basket. She said to Zhou Wangshu, "Wangshu, let’s go home."
Although she had warned that family earlier, she didn’t trust their character. Instead of waiting for them to make a move, it was better to take the initiative and dismantle their plans first.
As the ox cart passed through the village, Su Yaoguang saw Zhang Pandi standing at the doorway, looking out. When she saw their ox cart, a look of relief appeared on her face.
Su Yaoguang waved her hand.
Zhang Pandi nodded and mimicked her gesture, waving her hand.
"Mom, it’s Second Aunt." Su Yaoguang said to Zhang Zhaodi.
Zhang Zhaodi looked up towards Zhang Pandi’s direction, her eyes rimmed with red.
"Mom, it was Second Aunt who came to find me. If not for her, I wouldn’t have known where you were or what had happened to you."
"I met her the first day I came here and wanted to chat with her. But her husband urged her to work and wouldn’t let her talk to me. Being a widow working as a midwife, people found me unlucky. I didn’t want to make things difficult for her, so I didn’t seek her out again. It’s been three years since we last met. This time, she’s even thinner than she was three years ago."
"Second Aunt still cares about you a lot. She was very anxious when you got into trouble. Still, life is not easy for her either."
"I understand. We three sisters are all destined for hardship. Your father was a good man; if he were still alive, we would not be bullied like this. But my ill fate doomed him, leading him to die young on the battlefield. Your Second Aunt married a worthless man. Just because she couldn’t bear a son, he beat and scolded her and Chunni every day. Your Third Aunt married a sickly man. He’s decent but constantly ill, leaving your Third Aunt to lead a widow’s life in reality."
"Mom, your life isn’t hard. Please don’t say such things anymore." Su Yaoguang hugged her, "You still have me, and we’ll only get better from here."
"Yes, I have you. You were so small when you were born, only four and a half pounds, skinny like a little monkey. It feels like it happened just yesterday. In a blink, you’ve grown so much and can protect me now."
As Zhang Zhaodi spoke, she drifted off to sleep.
"Wangshu, slow down."
"Okay."
Su Yaoguang took off her outer garment and draped it over Zhang Zhaodi.
"Mom, I’ll always protect you. You’re not without support; I’m your support."
This time, they would all live long and have prosperous lives.
They would earn much money and have a bright future.
The ox cart returned to the village, and as they passed by Grandpa Su and Grandma Su’s house, they saw Grandma Su open the gate, spotting Su Yaoguang and Zhang Zhaodi.
She turned back inside and said to Second Aunt Su, "Where has that wretched girl Gui Lan gone? Get your husband to look for her."
Second Aunt Su was chewing on sugarcane, spitting out the skin as she spoke, "How should I know where my sister-in-law went? Even you don’t know."
"If you don’t know, go find her."
"Oh..."
Second Aunt Su reluctantly stepped outside.
She had no intention of looking.
It was dinner time, and she planned to wander around, pretending to search, and return once dinner was ready; this way, she could avoid work.
Su Guilan was like a rat; if she wanted to hide from them, how could she be found? She would come out when she wanted to, so why bother looking?
Just as Second Aunt Su was about to meet up with her friends for sugarcane, she saw Su Guilan jogging over. Standing still, she waited for Su Guilan to approach, noticing her sneaking glances around with a guilty look, as if she’d done something wrong.
Second Aunt Su wasn’t going to indulge her. Seeing her like this, she thought she was still embarrassed about what happened last time, which made her avoid people.
"Oh, look who it is! I must be seeing things; it’s my busy little sister-in-law!"
Su Guilan gestured for silence and pulled Second Aunt Su inside, whispering, "Why are you shouting so loud?"
"Did you steal something, afraid of being seen?" Second Aunt Su was still upset about the incident days ago, talking to Su Guilan with cynicism.
"Where is Mom?"
"At home! She sent me out to find you, and I was just about to do that when you showed up. You and your mother sure have a connection."
Su Guilan opened the door and called quietly, "Mom, I’m here."
Grandma Su was about to scold her when she heard Su Guilan say, "Oh, don’t scold me now."
"I wanted to ask you; I just saw that calamity Zhang Zhaodi come back. She doesn’t look like anything went wrong, which isn’t what you said. Didn’t you say that the Feng family is not to be messed with, and that you had bribed them to teach her a lesson and then extort them? Only then would you step in, convincing them by having Su Yaoguang marry Mutou to resolve this? But now her mother and she are back, and I don’t see you intervening."
"I just heard they came back, so I came to check on them. I haven’t visited the Feng family yet. I’ll go tomorrow and find out what’s going on. How can the Feng family go back on their word after taking my money?" Su Guilan said angrily.
"Can you handle it? I have a feeling Su Yaoguang is getting harder to deal with. The last time you suffered a loss at her hands, and this time she brings her mother back. Does this spendthrift know something? How did she break your trap so easily?"
"How capable can a little girl be? She must be lucky. Don’t worry, Mom, I don’t believe their luck will always be this good."
Su Yaoguang returned the ox cart and saw Zhang Zhaodi busy in the kitchen and hurriedly stopped her.
She turned around and scolded Zhou Wangshu, "Why didn’t you stop her?"
Zhou Wangshu admitted his mistake, "I’m sorry..."
"Why are you scolding him?" Zhang Zhaodi said, distressed, "He did persuade me earlier. I napped for so long in the ox cart; I’m well-rested. You can’t just bully Wangshu because he’s good-tempered and honest."
Su Yaoguang: "... Mom, why are you so on his side today?"
"Wangshu told me you’re planning to write a marriage agreement and make a marriage contract. Since Wangshu is willing to be your live-in son-in-law, we’ll be family, and of course, I should protect him. You’re so capable, and he’s so honest. If I’m not watching over you, how much injustice would Wangshu have to endure?"
Su Yaoguang looked at Zhou Wangshu.
Zhou Wangshu earnestly said, "Yaoguang won’t bully me. Yaoguang is so smart and capable; I’ll follow her lead from now on."
"When will you make the marriage contract?" Zhang Zhaodi eagerly looked at them.
Su Yaoguang said, "We’ll write the marriage agreement once you’re well-rested. However, we won’t announce it publicly until the right time comes."
"What right time?" Zhang Zhaodi didn’t understand.
"You’ll find out, Mom." Su Yaoguang said mysteriously, confident and assured.